St John''s Wort

Have anyone tried St John''s wort?

How to choose which brand and format (capsule/tablet/tea bag)?

Thanks

Never tried it but have heard good reports, try going into your local H&B or herbalist shop and asking advice

Hi,

If you are thinking about taking St John''s wort you need to be aware of side effects and possible interactions with other medication. I would recommend you visit your GP, if you are suffering from depression, other medication will be more appropriate.

This medicine may not be suitable for everyone and some people must never have it. Check the leaflet that comes with your medicine to make sure that the medicine is suitable before having it.

Always get advice from a healthcare professional before taking this medicine if:

you are allergic or sensitive to or have had a reaction to any of the ingredients in the medicine
this medicine is for someone under 18 years of age
you have photosensitive skin
you are suffering from depression
you are undergoing light therapy
you have an intolerance to sugars
you are about to undergo surgery in the next 10 days

Medicines interactions:

If you are taking more than one medicine they may interact with each other. Before taking this medicine consult your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines including vitamins, mineral supplements and herbal or complementary preparations.

The following medicines may interact with this medicine:

hormonal contraceptives
hormone replacement therapies
medicines for depression such as amitriptyline, clomipramine, moclobemide, citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline, duloxetine and venlafaxine
medicines for thinning blood such as warfarin and acenocoumarol
medicines for epilepsy such as carbamazepine, phenobarbitone, phenytoin, primidone and sodium valproate
immunosuppressant medicines such as cyclosporin and tacrolimus
medicines for HIV infections such as amprenavir, atazanavir, darunavir, fosamprenavir, indinavir, lopinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir, tipranavir, efavirenz, nevirapine and delavirdine
cholesterol lowering medicines such as atorvastatin and simvastatin
medicines for cancer such as irinotecan, dasatinib, erlotinib, imatinib, sorafenib, sunitinib, etoposide and mitotane
medicines for heart problems such as digoxin, ivabradine and amiodarone
medicines for migraines such as almotriptan, eletriptan, frovatriptan, naratriptan, rizatriptan, sumatriptan and zolmitriptan
medicines for high blood pressure such as amlodipine, nifedipine, felodipine and verapamil
medicines for mood regulation such as lithium
thyroid hormones such as thyroxine
fentanyl, propofol, sevoflurane and midazolam (anaesthetics or pre-operative medicines)
tramadol (a painkiller)
erythromycin, clarithromycin and telithromycin (antibiotics)
itraconazole and voriconazole (antifungals)
artemether and lumefantrine (antimalarials)
rasagiline (an anti-Parkinson’s medicine)
aripiprazole (an antipsychotic medicine)
buspirone (an anxiolytic)
aprepitant (a medicine used to treat post-operative vomiting)
butobarbital and phenobarbital (barbiturates)
methyl phenidate (a central nervous system or CNS stimulant)
exemestane (a hormonal antagonist)
eplerenone (a diuretic)
lansoprazole and omeprazole (proton pump inhibitors)
theophylline (a bronchodilator)
gliclazide (an antidiabetic medicine)

Possible side effects of St. Johns wort

Most medicines can cause some side-effects but not everyone having the same medicine will get the same side-effects.

The following side-effects have been associated with people having this medicine:

allergic skin reactions such as rash, hives or itching - stop taking this medicine immediately if you get an allergic reaction
gastrointestinal problems such as indigestion, loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhoea, constipation - stop taking this medicine if these symptoms are persistent
tiredness
nerve pain or tingling sensation
anxiety
dizziness
mania
sunburn-like reactions - these may happen in people who are fair-skinned and expose their skin to ultra-violet light such as the sun or solarium

Pregnancy and breast-feeding

Do not take this medicine if you are trying to become pregnant, are pregnant or are breast-feeding.

Other important information

Make sure that you read the leaflet that comes with your medicine to check what dose you should take and if there is anything that you need to do if you take more than the recommended dose. If you are in any doubt about whether this medicine is suitable for you, speak to your doctor or pharmacist.

This medicine may affect your ability to drive or operate machinery. Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how this medicine affects you.

Keep all medicines out of the sight and reach of children.

Best wishes,

NWTT.

A friend of mine took St John''s Wort for stress at work. He took it for several months and it worked.

However, he noticed that his hair began to fall out (he was around 30 at the time with no family history of hair loss) which heightened his stress levels so he took more wort.

The hair loss increased to the point that he went to see his doctor. The doctor told his that the wort can cause hair loss.

He stopped taking the wort, the hair loss stopped and the stress went away.

There is probably a clever psychological explanation for the stress detaching from the original source and reattaching to the hair loss that went away taking the stress with it but that''s about as much cod psychology as I am prepared to opine.

Charles

Thanks driven, NWTT and Charles

Gosh!
Some great reasons not to take St John''s Wort then!

Thanks
A